


Something To Die For

by dark0angel13



Series: Two halves of a whole [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-14 03:30:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20593976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark0angel13/pseuds/dark0angel13
Summary: When his worst fear threatens to become reality, Gajeel discovers something about himself that he didn't know before.





	Something To Die For

Everything happened so fast, it’s as if his body is moving in slow motion while the world around him races at light speed, and his blood runs cold in his veins. _How did it come to this? How had things gone so wrong?_ His mind is fogged with question after question, but without an answer to them, he’s left to rethink his entire life in the span of seconds. 

“Where are you?” His voice cracks as the call rides the wind, but it’s drowned out by the overwhelming echo of sirens. Around him, buildings lay in crumples of concrete and glass, and his heart jumps into his throat. There is only one thing he longs to find, one thing that brings his life meaning and if he lost that, he’s not sure if he could go on living. 

The dribble of blood on the side of his head brings him from his thoughts and as the adrenaline fades from his system, pain takes over and he’s doubling over, struggling to remain upright as every nerve ending in him is alight with white hot agony. Voices reach him before the bodies come into view and for the briefest of moments, he expects to see her, lopsided grin and eyes bright, but his hopes are dashed when his eyes settle on a limping man. He knows he needs to help, but he can’t bring himself to do it. It’s his job, it’s what he was paid to do, but right then, he couldn’t care less about wounded stragglers or victims. He only wanted one thing, only _needed_ one thing. 

“Where are you?” he screams until his voice is hoarse and his throat hurts but the only thing that comes back to him, is the rush of flames from what remains of the building before him. The hospital—a place of healing—was standing no more. Instead the walls are crumbled, the windows shattered and laying in jagged pieces littering the ground like a sick, twisted, version of confetti. His stomach lurches. This was her place of work, where she saved lives, and healed the sick. She was good at it too, he knows this, having seen her masterful hands at work many a time, content to just watch her from afar. 

The sight before him now though—the tattered remains of a place he knew almost as well as his own house—was enough to reduce him to tears. She was his other half, the healer of his violent heart. When he would bring in a criminal for interrogation, she was always there to patch them up when he was done. When his work brought him to dangerous places, she was by his side, ready for the moment when her skills were needed and having her at his back made him confident in his own abilities. He wasn’t complete without her, and the mere thought of her absence was enough to drive him mad. 

He moves with purpose, checking bodies as he goes, noting the ratio of survivors to deceased growing smaller and with it, his hope of finding her alive. The entire block looked like a war zone and if he bothered to check his phone, he would no doubt have dozens of missed called from his chief. He knows he should be aiding in rescue attempts, in trying to save as many lives as possible, but until he found her, until he knew she was alright, everyone else could go fuck themselves. _Please be alive…please be alive…_ it repeats in his head like a mantra and when he sees the that all too familiar head of hair, his entire body goes rigid. 

“No…” _This can’t be happening right now!_ His panicked mind screeches to a halt, because with her unmistakable hair, he also sees the all too familiar crimson spreading out around her from her place under the collapsed ceiling. She’s not moving, he’s not even sure she’s breathing and just like that, his dreams of a future seem to fly out the window. 

“Levy!” he’s at her side in seconds, flinging debris off her in a hurried attempt to extricate her from the undoubtedly heavy weight. She needs to be alive; she _needs_ to survive. It’s entirely too long before he finally frees her and the severity of the situation finally kicks in, hitting him like a punch to the gut. Her mangled leg sends mind into survival mode. He’s stemming the bleeding with a tourniquet and checking for other serious injuries. Hell, he probably checked for a pulse four times before he finally grew brave enough to lift her. “Stay with me shrimp, I got ya.” 

He’s not sure why he’s talking if he’s being honest with himself. She’s unconscious as he pulls her into his arms but talking to her seems to keep the panic from rising within him. She would always tell him that talking to patients in a coma was helpful because their subconscious could still hear them. So now, with her battered body in hanging limp in his trembling arms, he talks like it’s just a normal day, praying to God that she can hear him. 

“I’ve got ya, just hold on Levy. I’m gonna get you some help.” He winces as he walks but his pain is nothing compared to the ache in his chest. “You’re safe now. You had me worried there for a second.” He’s rambling now but that’s okay, because it helps keep his head clear. He knows what he needs to do. The sight of the ambulance has relief washing over him and his eyes brighten, his words of reassurance hanging on the wind as he kept the unconscious woman in his arms up to date on what was happening. The men greet him with a salute, but he waves them off, barking orders before they even ready the stretched. 

“She’s got a bad lac on her right leg,” he’s running on autopilot now, the words coming from him robotically. “Possible concussion and internal injuries. I pulled from under a collapsed ceiling, so she’s most likely got a few broken bones.” He watches them like a hawk after he sets her on the stretcher, her hand still clasped within his own 

“Pulse is thready, she’s going into shock— “ 

His mind is racing as they rush her into the back of the bus, stopping only to determine the fastest way out of the area and his mouth is as dry as the desert suddenly. Were any of the roads blocked? 

“Sir, you can’t come with us.” A hand blocks his path and his thoughts. They try to argue with him but the look in his eyes show a man on the verge of a complete breakdown, and if they don’t let him on with her, he’s going to rip them apart. They concede after a string of curses leave his lips and as they speed off, her hand becomes cold in his grip. _No_, he thinks. _This can’t be happening._

“Hey, do you morons know what the fuck you’re doing?” He snaps when one paramedic fails to start an IV. He could have done it better blind folded. “This woman means more to me than all your lives combined, you got that?” 

“Please calm down sir,” the blonde who has been watching up until his point finally speaks and moves to help his partner. “Administering emergency aid in a moving vehicle is difficult under normal circumstances. Add to the fact that she’s in critical condition, and this bus is moving at twice the legal limit, do you think you can do a better job?” 

Gajeel feels his body go stiff at the call out and even as the medic speaks, his hands move expertly to start the drip and something inside him relaxes. It seems at least this medic wasn’t _completely_ incompetent. His eyes shift back to Levy, her pale feature sunken in and framed with unkempt and blood matted hair. Her body is riddled with gashes and bruises and even with the flow of oxygen from her mask, her breaths are shallow at best. 

“She’s having a hard time breathing. Do something about it.” He barks, but the medic is already moving, opening her airway the best he can given the current situation and he lets out the breath he’s been holding. This man clearly knew what he was doing. 

“The only thing we can do now is monitor her vitals and get her to the nearest hospital as soon as possible. We’ve arranged for a medivac to meet us if her condition worsens.” The words flutter through his mind but Gajeel doesn’t hear them, instead the only thing that runs through his mind is every possible way this could end badly. What if she dies en route? What if she loses her leg? What if… he can’t even think about it because if he does his heart is going to explode in his chest. 

“Shit,” the small explosive word uttered from the medic makes his blood run cold and he’s watching the medic drag his stethoscope across her chest. “Get me a scalpel and some tubing. She’s got a hemothorax.” 

He’s been around Freed enough to understand what the man is saying, but it doesn’t stop the surge of anger that rises within him when he watches as they cut into her side. He’s on his feet, hands balled into fists at his sides when they shove the tubing into her, and he watches the blood slowly drip out and onto the floor. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” He’s seething now. How knows they’re just doing their jobs but god dammit, this is the love of his life. 

“We need to get the blood out of her lung. That’s why she’s having trouble breathing. This should help. You need to trust me.” The medic speaks matter of fact but Gajeel can see that deep down, past his bravado, past his cold detachment because of his job, this man loves what he does, and he knows Levy is in good hands. 

“Just save her…” He collapses back onto the seat, unsure of how much more of this his heart can take. Nothing else matters now. Not his condition, not his pain or anxiety. The only thing that matters to him right then, is Levy. 

\- 

\- 

\- 

“Hey,” his eyes have bag under them from lack of sleep and his body is covered in bandages but when she opens her eyes, his entire world brightens. “How ya feelin’ short stuff?” Her groan of pain goes right to his heart. 

“Hey,” she croaks out and he can’t help the tears that well in his eyes. “I found you.” Its her usual way of greeting, like nothing ever happened. 

“I found you too.” He takes her hand, afraid that if he’s not touching her, she will disappear, and he can’t even fathom that thought. 

“What happened?” her question hangs in the air for entirely too long because he’s not sure he knows himself. He’s still trying to piece it all together if he’s being honest. 

“Honestly, I don’t know. The chief has been on a rampage the past few days, but we’ve yet to get any answers. Only thing we do know, is that they suspect it was a terrorist attack.” He speaks with a heavy heart and the fear that flashes through her eyes, tug at his heart strings. She didn’t deserve this, no one deserved this. 

“I see… makes sense with Magnolia General Hospital being the only trauma center in the city, it’s the heart of Magnolia.” She speaks automatically now, and he cant help the smile that grows on his face. She always rambles when she’s deep in thought, and her intelligence was only one of the many reasons he loved her. 

“Take it easy, you’ve been out for a few days now. Had me worried half to death too.” He forces a chuckle, but she sees right through his act. 

“How bad is it?” Her expression deflates when her eyes settle over the thick bandages on her leg. 

“Bad…” he whispers with a tight throat. “I almost didn’t get to you in time.” He leans down to rest his head against her own, and the trembling takes over. “They’re not sure if you’ll be able to walk again.” 

“Is that all?” her sigh leaves him confused and he’s looking up to meet her eyes. “I was worried for a second there.” 

“Levy,” he can’t believe she’s so calm at a time like this. “Do you understand what I’m saying here shrimp? The building crushed some of the vertebrae in your spine and you have a few damaged nerves. You may not walk again.” He doesn’t even want to recall his reaction when the doctor told him all this. He almost killed the man. 

“I heard you the first time Gajeel,” she says matter of fact, and her bubbly voice does things to him. “I’m alive though, that’s all that matters.” Leave it to her to see the silver lining in this dismal moment. Just another reason for him to love her. 

“This is serious Levy,” he pleads with her, placing a hand on her right leg, watching and waiting for a reaction. She makes none and it only serves to confirm his fears. “You can’t feel this can you?” 

“No,” she agrees softly and his jaw clenches. “But that’s okay because I still have you.” 

“Dammit Levy, this is serious!” He’s on his feet, tears streaming down his face as he tries to get her to see the severity of the situation. 

“Gajeel calm down,” her voice soothes him. “Whatever happens… we will face it together.” 

He drops to his knees before her and does the only thing he can think of, he hugs her. He wraps her in his arms and holds onto her like his life depends on it. Her body is warm against his and though she grunts in pain, her arms entangle around his neck and he feels her calm wash over him in waves. She’s always keeping him grounded, always driving him forward and supporting him and its all he can do not to collapse against her, to let his emotions run wild because he had almost lost her in the accident. 

“If I had lost you…” He can’t even finish the sentence and her hand rubs soothing patterns up and down his back. 

“I know…” and she does. She knows him better than anyone. She’s his reason for being a cop. She’s his inspiration and motivation when he feels like the world is crumbling around him. She’s his rock. 

“I love you Levy.” He leans in and kisses her gently, loving the way she melts into him and his heart skips into overdrive. 

“I love you too.” Her words are what drive him forward, what give him the confidence to put his life on the line every day, and her very existence gives him life. 

She’s his breath of fresh air when he’s struggling to breathe. His sunshine when clouds threaten to ruin his days. She’s the yin to his yang, and he want’s nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her. She’s his reason to live when he loses all hope. She’s worth every sliver of pain in his body, every ache in his chest and he would take it all in spades if it meant he could save her from her own agony. For reasons he can’t explain, the words of his late father drift into his mind and he finds himself smiling. 

“I’ve found it, Dad.” The words leave his lips and she looks to him with a raised brow. 

“Found what?” 

“Something to die for.”

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you loved it, hated it, want more, etc. Much love.


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